Paper lid



R. H. ANDERSON ETAL 3,235,164

PAPER LID Filed March '7, 1965 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,235,164 PAPER LID Russell H. Anderson, White Plains, and John P. Campanelli, Bethpage, N.Y., assignors, by mesne assignments,

to Haskon, Inc., Mountainside, NJ., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 263,483 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-43) This invention relates to paper lids for -food packages or the like.

Another object is to provide a lid of the above type having novel and i-mproved characteristics.

Another object is to provide a lid adapted to snap into a cup groove and to grip the rim of the cup.

Another object is to provide a paper lid of the above type having means to` prevent the outer skirt from absorbing moisture and becoming deformed while on the container.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

The invention will be better understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a specific embodiment has been shown for purposes of illustration.

In the drawings:

FIG, 1 is a transverse section through a lid and before the liner has been inserted and locked in place;

FIG. 2 is a similar section showing the nished lid with the liner locked in place and with the outer bead for snapping into a cup groove;

FIG. 3 is a partial transverse section through the lid and die at the beginning of the bead lforming operation;

FIG. 4 is a similar broken longitudinal section through the lid and die at the completion of the bead forming operation;

FIG. 5 is a partial View of the lower die member;

FIG. 6 is a broken elevation, partly in section, illustrating the lid in place in a cup.

FIG. 7 is a detail view illustrating the skirt forming portion of the lid forming die; and

FIG. 8 is a detail showing the nesting position of a pair of stacked lids.

Referring to the drawing more in detail the invention is shown as applied to a -lid for a food container of the paper cup type. This lid comprises a lower diaphragm 1 adapted to close the cup or the like and an upstanding rim housing having a vertical inner peripheral wall 2 terminating in an outwardly flared wall 3, a downwardly inclined top wall 4 and an outer .skirt 5 having a compacted and thickened lower flange 6.

The lid above described is preferably made from wax treated, non-absorbent pape-r, or the like in a forming die of the type shown in Goodwin et al, Patent No. 2,447,855, dated August 24, 1948. The die includes a plurality of concentric rings adapted to form the inner diaphragm and the Walls of the rim housing- Generaflly the lupper die member includes a central plunger 80, adapted to form the lid diaphragm 1, a ring 75 having a cylindrical surface 75a and a tapered portion 75l; adapted to form the inner housing walls 2 and 3 respectively, and an outer ring member A116i Ihaving an inclined top surface 110a te form the top wall 4 of the lid and a cylindrical skirt-forming surface llb having an annular recess 110C to form the outer skirt 5 and thickened danse 6 0f the. lid.

The lower die member includes a central plunger 164 having an upper surface 175, a ring member 164 having surfaces conforming to the lid walls 2, 3, 4 and 5, and an outer forming ring 150 adapted to engage the bottom of the skirt 4iiange 6 to compact the flange within the recess 110e. The die elements above described correspond substantially to similarly numbered elements in said Goodwin et al. patent.

The lid *above described is preferably made from a wax treated non-absorbent paper or the like.

rlhe disc 10 of non-absorbent material such as waxed paper is disposed over the diaphragm 1 of the lid and is locked in place in a groove 44 formed by the bead 43 in the inner surface of the wall 2 of the rim housing.

The disc 10 is applied to the top of the diaphragm and the lid placed in a die as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. This die comprises a base 15 carrying a lower plunger 16 having a top diaphragm 17 on which the lid is seated and a downwardly extending peripheral skirt 18. The plunger is held in its upper position by a coiled spring 19.

A plural-ity of die segments 20 are mounted to slide radially between `a lower ring 21 and an upper ring 22 which Vare secured together in spaced relationship by spacing posts 23. The lower ring 21 is formed with radial grooves 24 in which beads 25 on the segments 20 slide radially for guiding and positioning the segments.

The rings 21 and 22 are biased upwardly by springs 26 only one of which is shown and are adapted to ybe dcpressed by a shoulder 27 on the skirt 1S of the plunger 16.

Each segment is provided with ears 30 to which a link 31 is pivoted. The links 31 are pivoted to ears 32 formed on a iixed ring 3-3. Stop posts 36 carried by the ring 33 limit the upward movement of the rings 21 `and 22.

The segments 2l) are formed with conical arcuate surfaces 40 adapted to compress the outer surface of the wall 2 of the lid and with a peripheral groove 41 adapted to form an outer bead 43 on the wall 2. The wall is thus folded over the edge of the disc 1li to form an internal groove 44 in the wall 2 opposite the bead `43. The disc 10 is thus seated in the groove 44 and is locked in place thereby.

It will be noted that the outer diameter of the bead 43 corresponds to the outer diameter of the wall 2 before compressing and that the wall 2 is tapered inwardly from its upper edge to the top of the bead 43 as a result of the compressing or forming operation.

The die includes an upper plunger in the form of a metal disc 45 carried by a rod 46 and adapted to rest upon the disc 10 of the lid.

In the forming operation the lid with `its disc is placed on the lower plunger 16 and the upper plunger 45 is brought down upon the disc 10 of the lid.. The disc 10 and lid are then further depressed with the lowering of the plunger 16 until the shoulder 27 of the plunger engages the ring 21. At this point the light diaphragm has been brought downwardly into alignment with the bead forming grooves 41 on the segments 20. Further depression of the upper plunger 45, lid and lower plunger 16 compresses the springs 26 and depresses the rings 21 and 22 to the position shown in FIG. 4. r[his depression of the latter rings causes the links 31 to plush the segments 20 inwardly to compress the wall 2 of the lid around the edge of the disc 10 to form the inner groove 44 and outer bead 4 3 on the wall 2,. The cuter bead 4 3 is adapted to t into an internal groove 47 in the wall of the cup 48 while the outer skirt 5 extends over rim 49 of the cup as shown in FIG. 6.

A lid of the above type is particularly adapted for use with paper cups .in which refrigerator foods and products are dispensed. lt muy be used, however, with other containefs having an appropriate upper rim and internal groeve to receive the rim housing and the external bead 43 respectively of the lid. The Shape and ferm et the lid may of course be varied in accordance with the particular container to which it is to be applied.

In this embodiment the lower flange `6 of the lid skirt 5 is considerably thicker than the remainder of the skirt and is highly compacted. The highly compacted state materially reduces the tendency. of the skirt to. absorb moisture which would result in a softening of the skirt structur The increased thickness andhardness prevent the skirt from flaring outwardly and producing an unsightly package, while, for example, the container is inthe refrigerated compartment of a store.

The llared wall 3 is disposed at an angle such that the outer bead of a nested lid rests within the wall 3y of the lid below without being bound therein. When a lid is fed from the stack as shown in FIG. 8 the bead of the top lid is cammed up -by the inclined wall 3 of the lid below until the top lid rides over the rim housing of the lower lid and slides Off the stack without bending.

What is claimed is:

A paper lid for food containers or the like composed of wax paper and comprising a central diaphragm adapted to form a. closure for the container and an integrally formed rim housing having an inner peripheral wall formed with a lower substantially vertical portion and with an upper flared portion adapted to receive the bottom of a nested lid, a top wall, an outer depending skirt, said skirt terminating at its lower end in `a compacted flange lhaving a greater thickness than the remainder of the skirt, an external peripheral bead formed on the lower portion of said inner peripheral wall with said bead `being adapted to rest on the flared upper portion of the peripheral wall of a nested lid and being adapted to lit into the correspond ing internal groove of a container, an internal groove formed in the inner surface of said peripheral wall in alignment with said external bead, and a reinforcing disc seated in said groove prior to closing of a container by the lid.

References Cited by theExamner UNITED STATES PATENTS 801,683 10/ 1905 Penfold 220-24 2,368,920 2/1945 Goodwin 229-43 2,693,307 11/1954 Goodwin 229-43 2,707,588 5/ 1955 Amberg.

2,746,669 5/19-5 6 Moore.

THERON E, CONDON, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner. 

